


because you feel like home (you're like a dream come true)

by mukeandziamgotmelike



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Famous, Angst, Blow Jobs, Boys In Love, Crushes, Falling In Love, Fluff, Kid Fic, M/M, Oblivious Michael, Secret Crush, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-24
Updated: 2016-02-24
Packaged: 2018-05-22 22:03:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,266
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6095395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mukeandziamgotmelike/pseuds/mukeandziamgotmelike
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Luke is nine, he thinks he's actually going to hurt someone. Because, seriously, does Michael really not notice? He spent everyday the last few summers going over to Michael's house just to see what he was doing; every single day.</p><p>Or; Luke has had a crush on Michael since he was seven, and everyone notices. Well, everyone except Michael.</p>
            </blockquote>





	because you feel like home (you're like a dream come true)

**Author's Note:**

> WHO ORDERED MUKE WITH A SIDE OF CASHTON?
> 
> It's me. I ordered it.
> 
> A pat on the back to myself for actually finishing this. Cookies for those who get through it. (u da real mvp)
> 
> This is loosely based off Phineas and Isabella's relationship in Phineas and Ferb, since Phinabella is probably my only straight ship.
> 
> Title is from When We Were Young by Adele. 
> 
> Sorry the spaces are too big :/

**2001**

 

**~**

 

“Luke, come down and meet our new neighbors!” The five year old comes stampeding down the stairs, nearly tripping over his own feet and slipping on the new hardwood floors - their old house had been carpeted, but now, Luke is going to actually have to  _ pay attention  _ to where he is running, what a concept - but he manages to stay upright, as he always happens to do; and stands by his mother's side. He sees a boy around his age and his cheeks flush as he hides behind his mom's leg.

 

“Luke, these are the Cliffords, they live across the street.” Luke looks up shyly at the people in his living room. The young boy sees him staring and winks, and  _ oh my god,  _ he can wink? Luke can't do that. The boy is immediately labelled as a cool kid in Luke's book.

 

“I'm Michael!” The mystery boy shouts, earning a disapproving look from his mother. He sees the look and blushes sheepishly. “Um, Luke, wanna go play?” He asks and the blonde looks up at his mother, sort of like ‘why is another human being talking to me what do I do I've never had to socialize before please help’. His mom smiles at him, putting a hand on his back to push him forward gently. “Go ahead.” 

 

Luke steps forward. Michael smiles and grabs his hand. “C’mon, let's go! I have such cool toys, you won't believe what my mom got me for my birthday! My birthday was last week and my best friend Calum came…” 

 

Luke learns quickly that Michael likes to talk. A lot. Luke thinks that he's amazing. Michael is a whole year older than him - and for some reason Luke finds that really captivating - and he's just so  _ cool. _ He's got really awesome Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle sheets on his bed - Luke's mom won't even let him watch the Ninja Turtles, in fear of her baby being corrupted; but Luke's older brothers let him join them for Saturday morning cartoons when their mom is out grocery shopping - and the superhero toys are just incredible. If Luke had to envision heaven, this would probably be it.

 

Michael also has really pretty green eyes that get covered by his fringe that keeps falling in front of them. Luke knows pretty is a girl word, but all he can think when he sees Michael's smile and hears his laugh is  _ pretty.  _

 

He tells Michael this (“You're really pretty, Mikey. Your eyes are like grass during the summer.”) and the boy just laughs a little before showing Luke his fire truck that he built  _ all by himself  _ out of Lego's. 

 

Michael was the very first person who made Luke feel comfortable; who made him think he could do this whole ‘friendship’ thing.

 

**~**

 

**2003**

 

**~**

 

When Michael came knocking on Luke's door the first day after his school ended for summer - Luke went to a private school, and Michael went to a public one, so the only time they could get real fun in was during the summer - with the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles DVD for the new series, Luke knew that his summer was going to be amazing. 

 

Calum would usually join them, but he had been in New Zealand the past week visiting family. When Luke met Calum, he found the boy to be extremely quiet and introverted - even more than Luke himself - since he hardly uttered a word the whole time they hung out. It was easy to see that Michael did most of the talking in their friendship, since he always had something interesting to say and Calum liked to listen. They were a good pair; they balanced each other out.

 

“Okay, the new turtles are  _ sick.  _ Even better than the old ones. They even manage to make Donnie seem almost as cool as Raph. Who’d a thought it, right?” Michael questions rhetorically after he puts the DVD in Luke's video player and plops down on the couch like he's in his own home. Luke giggles and sits down next to him, keeping a few inches in between them.

 

In the two years they've been friends, Luke has learned a thing or two. One; Michael happens to be a very protective person (and Luke might like to have someone looking after him) that always makes sure that Luke is comfortable, that the bullies at his ‘snobby rich kid private school’ weren't harassing him again. Two; that liking boys  _ was  _ a possibility and maybe,  _ just maybe,  _ Luke liked Michael. He liked him a little bit of a lot, which didn't make sense, but so didn't a lot of things in his seven year old mind.

 

Michael frowns when he sees how far away Luke is and scoots closer to him. He lays his head in Luke's lap, and the blonde doesn't really know what to do with his hands (and the butterflies erupting his stomach along with the blush he's pretty sure is spreading across his cheeks aren't helping). Michael takes one of Luke's hands and plays with the younger boy's fingers as the theme song sounds from the television. The older blonde hums along as Luke tries to remember how to breathe normally. 

 

He's pretty sure his pupils are literal hearts, but it's cool; it's  _ totally  _ fine.

 

**~**

 

**2003**

 

**~**

 

Luke walks to Michael's house, knocks on the door, is polite to Michael's mom (because that's how he was raised and Liz Hemmings would sooner die than have one of her three darling angels be disrespectful to an adult) and walks up the stairs to Michael's room, following his everyday routine.

 

He opens the door slowly and sees Michael and Calum wrestling on Michael's bed - if you could even call it wrestling, because it was pretty clear that Calum was letting Michael win - and clears his throat a little. Both boys look up. “Hi, Michael!” He says happily, causing the boy to smile. “Whatchya doin?” “Calum and I are wrestling, which he's super bad at. I'm so much better than him, Lukey, I've pinned him, like, a gazillion times!” Michael explains and Calum laughs a little from his spot on the floor.

 

Luke knows that if Calum really tried, he could give Michael a run for his money, but keeps quiet. “You're amazing,” Luke comments in what he hopes isn't a too lovesick tone; he had seen the way the girls in his class talk to the boys they like and thinks he's mastered the art. Calum raises an eyebrow - which is another thing Luke can't do, add that under winking on his list of fails in life - but he doesn't say a word, as per usual. 

 

“Calum was Donatello and I was Michelangelo, so  _ of course  _ I would beat him.” Michael continues and Calum pouts a little. “But Donnie is good at other stuff, too! He's really smart, don't worry, Cal.” Calum smiles again, and that's enough to get Michael happy. “You guys wanna go to the park?”

 

Luke interrupts Calum's supposed answer with a bright ‘sure!’ and follows Michael down the stairs. Calum sighs, getting off the ground and following the two blondes. He knows Luke likes Michael; it's easy to see, but Luke's just lucky Michael's an idiot or else he would've found out awhile ago.

 

Once they get to the park - after a whole lot of Michael poking Calum out of pure boredom and Calum letting him, because really, what harm was he doing? - Michael sprints towards the monkey bars, Luke following happily. 

 

Luke doesn't really like the monkey bars; they're too high and it kind of scares him because if he ever even tried to cross them he would probably end up falling to his death. He just likes watching Michael do them because he makes it look so  _ easy.  _ He makes everything look easy, Luke thinks, as he adds monkey bars to the mental list of things he can't do. Puts it right under raising an eyebrow.

 

They spend nearly the whole day there and the sun is starting to set by the time they leave. As they walk home, Michael grabs both Calum and Luke's hands and swings them back and forth obnoxiously between their bodies. Calum rolls his eyes with a fond smile and Luke blushes, hiding it with a laugh. He prays that Michael will think his rosy cheeks are on an account of running around all day. 

 

His prayers are answered, and Michael stays completely oblivious. Luke doesn't know if that's a good or bad thing.

 

**~**

 

**2005**

 

**~**

 

When Luke is nine, he thinks he's going to actually hurt someone. Because, seriously, does Michael really not notice? He spent everyday of the past few summers going to Michael's house  _ just  _ to ask what he was doing;  _ every single day.  _

 

But he promises himself that he won't stop trying. He'll keep his completely subtle, completely unassuming act up. He actually thinks it's kind of good that Michael hasn't found out; there's a good chance that he doesn't like boys like Luke does, which most guys don't, as Luke has learned through watching his classmates over the years. It would be totally embarrassing, if Michael found out and never talked to him again.

 

It's a win or lose situation; he could lose Michael as a friend, or - the much more unlikely option - Michael could end up liking him back. It was a hollow dream, it really was, but Luke wasn't going to give up.

 

He walks into Michael's room, like he always does (he's learned to accept Michael's house as he second home; it's easier that way) and sees Michael sitting on the bed with his knees pulled into his chest. “Whatchya doin?” He asks tentatively. Michael looks up at him, then looks down again, sighing.

 

“Sulking.” He replies. Luke makes a mental note to look that word up later, since Michael is smarter than he likes to let on and uses big fifth grade words that Luke hasn't learned yet. From what he can tell, ‘sulking’ is not a good thing. ‘Sulking’ definitely does not look good on Michael, since Michael should always be happy.

 

“What's wrong?” The blonde questions, sitting next to Michael on the bed. “Calum's sick today.” The older boy says sadly, and Luke resists the urge to roll his eyes and say something along the lines of ‘Calum, Calum, Calum, he's all you talk about’ because he's a mature person.

 

“We could hang out. J-Just the two of us.” Luke mutters, stuttering a bit on the second sentence as he looks down with a blush. He feels Michael's eyes on him, and he wants to look up again, just feels like he has to, because he  _ wants  _ to meet Michael's eyes. “Okay!” Michael says after a bit, smiling brightly. “Let's go to the park, Lukey. I'll teach you how to do the monkey bars,” he continues, grabbing Luke's hand and pulling him down the stairs. Luke smiles, butterflies invading his stomach because  _ hell yeah  _ hand holding.

 

Michael keeps their hands joined throughout the whole walk, and tells Luke all about his theory on Leonardo’s journey of self-discovery with the Ancient One and how it would affect him. Then he went on to say that even though Raphael was really cool, Michelangelo would still always be his favorite (which had nothing to do with the previous topic, but Michael was never good at staying on par). Luke tries to listen, he really does, but to no avail. Michael's hand joined with his is too distracting. 

 

They reach the park; Michael lets go of Luke's hand to run to the playground. Luke looks down at his hand that was just holding Michael's. He can still feel the phantom feeling, can still feel Michael's palm pressed to his. “Luke, c'mon!” Michael exclaims and Luke snaps out of his daze, following after Michael. 

 

Michael stops abruptly when they reach the monkey bars, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow at Luke expectantly. Luke nearly runs into Michael before looking at him shyly. “Wh-what?” “Try it.” Michael says simply, gesturing to the monkey bars.

 

“N-No, I think I'm good. You can do it,” Luke stutters, backing away slowly. Michael smiles fondly, shaking his head. “You're not getting out of this one, Hemmings. By the end of the day, you're going to know how to do this, or my name isn't Michael Clifford,” he says firmly, grabbing Luke's wrist and pulling him closer. Luke blushes furiously.

 

Michael looks up at him as he stands on the top step, holding onto the first bar for dear life. “You can do it, Lukey. Don't worry; if you fall, I'll catch you.” 

 

Luke takes a deep breath, letting his feet leave the step as he reaches for the second bar.

 

He does end up falling, but that's okay. Because, just as he promised, Michael is there to catch him.

 

**~**

 

**2007**

 

**~**

  
  


It's when Luke is eleven that Calum confronts him. Michael had come to his house with the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie that had just come out in his hand, Calum trailing behind him.

 

Luke's smile had faltered just the tiniest bit when he saw Calum; only because he had kind of hoped that it would be just him and Michael. However, luck was not on his side. 

 

The movie had been on for a half hour already, and Calum would not stop giving Luke this  _ look.  _ It was like he had figured out Luke's biggest secret, and he was trying to communicate that through his eyes. 

 

“I'll be right back,” Calum suddenly says, and Luke is surprised to hear his voice; he hasn't said a word all day. All week, even. Michael hums dismissively, his eyes still glued to the screen. Luke watches Calum go, and the boy gives him one more of those looks before walking away. “I need to go to the bathroom.” Luke whispers, standing up. Michael shrugs, spreading out on the couch.

 

Luke walks by the bathroom, wondering where Calum went when something pulls on his arm. “You think you've got everyone fooled, don't you?” Calum's voice says and Luke looks up to meet eyes with him. “What do you mean?”

 

“You have a crush on him. Michael. It's not hard to see,” Calum replies. “R-Really? Does he know? Did you tell him? Please, tell me you didn't.” Luke says, shaking his head a little. He starts to tear up at the thought that Michael could hate him because he's a freak who has crushes on boys when he's supposed to like girls and he actually likes Michael, even though he could never like Luke back -

 

“I didn't tell him. He also doesn't know. He's kind of an idiot when it comes to these things.” Calum says, cutting off Luke's thoughts. Luke lets out a relieved breath. “Calum, please don't tell him. He can't find out, he can  _ never  _ find out.” He continues. “Please,” Luke pleads, looking up at Calum with puppy eyes. “I won't tell him,” Calum says sincerely. “But you probably should.” He adds, before turning and walking out of the bathroom.

 

Luke sinks down the wall and pulls his knees into his chest. He can't just tell Michael that he has a  _ crush _ on him. Michael would hate him, he's sure of it. He would lose probably the only real friend he's ever had; the only real friend he's probably ever going to have. 

 

He wouldn't tell Michael. He  _ can't. _

 

**~**

 

**2009**

 

**~**

 

Luke walks out of school, sighing in relief. As he’s looking around for his mom's car, there's suddenly a weight on his back and arms around his neck. “Hey, Lukey!” A familiar voice says, and Luke can tell that Michael's smiling. Michael gets off his back, but leaves an arm around his shoulders as they walk beside each other. “So, your last day of elementary school. You staying private for high school?”

 

Luke lets out a humorless laugh. “Yeah, right. My mom wants me to, but I won't. If I have to be with those rich kids for four more years, I'll go crazy.” “They can't be all bad.” “Of course not; I'm generalizing. But I will go crazy.” Michael smiles at him. “Does that mean you'll be going to school with me?” 

 

Luke shrugs, a light blush spreading across his cheeks. “I guess so,” he mutters. Michael's smile gets brighter, and he practically hugs Luke's head. “Now you've got me all excited. I actually want go to school now. I'll have both you and Calum,” he says. Luke's smile dims a little, but he hopes Michael doesn't see the change.

 

“So, uh, Luke, I need to tell you something,” Michael says, his smile gone. Luke nods for him to continue. “W-Well, you're kind of my best friend, so I wanted you to know…” He trails off, looking away and removing his arm from Luke's shoulders. “I got a girlfriend.” Michael says quickly. Luke feels his face fall and his heart break. “R-Really? What's her name?” He asks, since he doesn't want Michael to think that he's jealous - because he's  _ so not  _ \- and it's common courtesy (and he wants to get to know this girl personally so that he can make sure she's not taking advantage of Michael; of course, that's the  _ only  _ reason).

 

“Her name's Geordie Gray.” Michael replies, and for the first time ever, he sounds sheepish. “She's a year older than me.” “She sounds great,” Luke comments, smiling again. “She is,” Michael adds, also smiling - albeit nervously. 

 

They stop walking in front of Luke's house. “So, will I, uh, see you tomorrow?” Michael asks. Luke nods. “Tomorrow,” he assures before walking into his house. Once the door closes, he lets his tears fall. 

He sinks to the ground and buries his face in his knees, sobs racking his body.  _ He'll never like you in the same way. Give up.  _ A voice in his head says. The back door opens and he frantically wipes the tears from his face. He gets up and starts to walk up the stairs, but is interrupted. “Lukey? What's wrong?” His brother's voice asks. That's when Luke breaks down again. He's never been able to hide much from his family; especially not from Jack.

 

He tells Jack everything; is somehow able to oust out the words to tell him the whole story. From the beginning, back when he was five and told Michael how pretty he was, when he was nine and Michael caught him from falling off the monkey bars, how everyday after that he fell  _ more and more, _ that it wasn't the type of physical falling that anyone could stop. Jack stays quiet the whole time, listening respectfully and keeping a hand on Luke's shoulder. 

 

“A-And now he has a girlfriend, and even though I  _ knew  _ that we would never be together, it still hurts  _ so  _ much.” Luke sobs out, leaning his head onto Jack's shoulder. “I like him so much.”

 

“I know you do. A lot of people do,” Jack says gently. “How you acted around him; it wasn't difficult to see. And I'm not really sure how two guys act around each other when they have crushes, but it looked like he liked you quite a bit, too. The way he was always talking to you and wanting your attention-” Luke shakes his head. “He acted like that around everyone. You know that,” he says.

 

“Luke, you matured pretty fast. You know that most guys your age are usually idiots and can't tell when someone likes them. They also don't know how to show their feelings. But when you and Michael hung out, the way he looked at you, the way he paid attention to you - maybe he has more than a friendly feelings for you without realizing it.” 

 

Luke wipes his eyes again, nodding. He doesn't believe Jack, not one bit; though he's certainly not going to tell him that. “Besides, Lukey, you're only  _ thirteen.  _ You're going to highschool with Michael; you guys will have time to work it out.”

 

“He's fourteen.”

 

“What?” Jack questions. “Fourteen. Michael is fourteen,” Luke repeats. “Oh my god, Luke, you're so whipped,” Jack laughs, and soon Luke joins in. 

 

They spend the rest of the day at home, and Luke ends up falling asleep on the couch around 2 AM with his head pillowed on Jack's chest. He doesn't wake up until the afternoon the next day.

 

He forgets to go over to Michael's house.

 

**~**

 

**2010**

 

**~**

 

“Lucas Robert Hemmings! I haven't seen you all summer!” A familiar voice yells as Luke walks into his new highschool. He turns his head and sees Michael. “I came over at least four times a week,” he replies quietly, not wanting to draw unwanted attention. Michael walks over to him, putting his arm around Luke's shoulders. “I know. But the days you didn't come over were so long and boring, I thought I was going to murder someone  _ just  _ to make life more interesting,” Michael says. 

 

Luke laughs. In all honesty, some days he had chosen not to go over to Michael's house. He knew that spending more time with the boy would only lead to Luke remembering how much he really likes Michael; and how he could never have him. He had vowed it to himself over the summer that he would try and get rid of this silly little crush, since it wasn't going anywhere anyway. He had succeeded, sort of; his heart  _ totally  _ didn't hurt when Michael talked about his girlfriend and his stomach  _ definitely  _ didn't do flips whenever Michael would smile at him or touch him or look at him.

 

“How are you and Geordie doing?” Luke asks in what he hopes is a teasing tone. That's what straight friends do, right? Tease each other about girlfriends? Michael laughs a little, though it seems forced. “I don't think we're going to be dating much longer. She has the hots for this senior. But, I mean, what we had was fun while it lasted.” Luke nods understandingly, keeping a serious exterior, but inside his heart is throwing a party and he's pretty sure his brain has exploded in happiness.

 

“What about you, my adorably single little penguin, any girls? Guys?” Michael asks, his hand squeezing Luke's shoulder a little. Wait, that can't be right. Michael sounds  _ jealous,  _ and why the hell would he be jealous? “No, not really. Besides, the last person I even had a slight crush on was Kevin Jonas from the Jonas Brothers,” Luke replies. Lies, he was totally lying. I mean, he did think Kevin Jonas was cute, but the last person he had a crush on (read:  _ still  _ has a crush on) would be Michael. He isn't going to tell him that, though.

 

“Really? Kevin? I would personally pick Nick myself, but, like, preferences, I guess. So you're not dating anyone?” Michael asks again. Luke shakes his head. “Not the last time I checked. Besides, I'm only a freshman and girls are icky.” Michael laughs, leaning his head on Luke's shoulder. The bell rings, and Luke swears that he can hear Michael mutter, “My little hem hem,” into his neck.

 

But that could just be wishful thinking.

 

**~**

 

**2010**

 

**~**

 

Later that year, Calum sort of attaches himself to a cute junior named Ashton. In reality, he probably just looked at Ashton with his natural puppy dog eyes and giggled quietly at his jokes - which, Luke admits, are utterly stupid but fucking hilarious nonetheless - since that's what Calum does to almost everyone and now everyone thinks he's adorable.

 

Ashton is really nice, and his smile shines like the sun. He's mature for his age, which the boys have learned is from a certain parental abandonment that they don't talk about often. However, his maturity is the perfect balance to Michael's immaturity, so it works out pretty well. Luke was mainly in awe that someone as cool as Ashton would talk to them, until he learned that Ashton really wasn't that cool at all. It's really damn great.

 

Speaking of Michael's immaturity, he is currently throwing French fries at Ashton and Calum from the other side of the table then eating Luke's to make up for the ones he lost. And this was all well and good, until Ashton started throwing them back. “No fair! You're not supposed to fight back!” Michael yell as he ducks, not-so-secretly taking another one of Luke's fries and eating it. “Well, I am. And stop eating Luke's fries!” “He hasn't told me to stop yet!” “But he didn't tell you to start, either!”

 

Michael is struck silent after that, merely pouting and muttering, ‘whatever’ as he takes one last fry from Luke and eats it as he looks out the window dramatically. Ashton rolls his eyes fondly, Michael's usual actions not surprising at all anymore, and falls into a conversation with Calum. The thing about them is, Calum actually really opens up to Ashton. It's cute, Luke thinks, how Calum can go from being a reserved little wallflower to telling Ashton that his favorite animals are puppies and if anyone ever got him a puppy then he would love them forever.

 

As they talk, Luke turns to Michael, who is still continuing with this stubborn boycott of his against Ashton. Luke bumps Michael's elbow with his own, causing the boy to look up with a wide-eyed expression. “You okay?” Luke asks teasingly, causing Michael to snort quietly. “Fine, thanks for asking,” he responds in the same tone. “Sure?” Luke can see that Michael's hiding something, that behind the teasing, he's actually upset. “Positive,” Michael assures. 

 

Luke nods, and they sit quietly until Luke feels Michael's hand nudge against his own. Luke opens his fingers and Michael fits his in between them. Luke's heart is beating a million times per minute and it's so loud in his ears that he feels like Michael can hear it. 

 

Michael leans his head on Luke's shoulder, their hands laced together. “‘ve just missed you.” Luke is about to say that they see each other every day, how the hell could Michael miss him, when he thinks that diving too much into this could end with Michael being pulled away from him. So he stays quiet.

 

It doesn't matter what Luke feels, as long as Michael keeps holding him this way, none of it matters.

 

**~**

 

**2010**

 

**~**

 

Luke lies in bed, wide awake, staring up at the ceiling in the dark. Michael is snoring quietly next to him, his slow breaths hitting Luke's neck. Even though Michael was taller than Luke - and would never let him forget it - when they cuddled, he would lean his head on Luke's shoulder and bury his face in his neck.

 

Luke sighs, moving around to get more comfortable to see if then he'll fall asleep. Michael makes a small noise from next to him and lifts his head up. “Lukey? You still awake?” And this all feels super domestic and Luke swallows the feeling of longing before answering. “Yeah, I-I can't sleep. My brain won't shut up,” he replies. Michael makes another small noise that sounds like it's supposed to be a sympathetic ‘aw’. “Have you tried counting sheep?” Michael asks, his voice deep with sleep. Luke shrugs. “Didn't work. Also didn't try,” he says and Michael breathes out a laugh.

 

“Your skin is smooth,” Michael says, leaning his head against Luke's, his nose on the blonde's cheek. “T-Thank you,” Luke whispers, blushing. “This summer has been great so far,” Michael says. Luke nods in agreement, then Michael adds, “I don't want this to end.” 

 

“What do you mean?” Luke questions quietly. “This. Our friendship. Face it, Luke, you're going to get into a good college and I'll be here, still in Australia, because I'll never be able to amount to anything.” Michael's voice is lazy and tired, like this is something he's fully accepted and is ready to explain a thousand times more. “I'll never get out of this town.” Luke stays silent, not knowing what to respond. A few minutes later, when Michael's breathing has slowed down again, he finally realizes what was keeping him awake.

 

“I’m in love with you, Michael Clifford.”

 

**~**

 

**2011**

 

**~**

 

“I know you haven't told him.” Luke jumps at Calum's voice, putting a hand over his heart as he closes his locker. “Fucking christ, Cal, don't scare me like that. The emotionless tone didn't help,” he says, raising an eyebrow as Calum mutters, “Don't swear.”

 

“Ashton seems to be really rubbing off on you,” Luke comments and Calum turns beet red. “He's not- I'm not- don't change the subject! You have to tell Michael or else he's going to try and move on because he thinks you don't feel the same way. Do you really want that, Luke?” Luke looks down. “No. But I don't want him to hate me, either. This could go a couple of ways, Calum.”

 

“He likes you  _ back,  _ Luke! How can you not see it?” Calum questions rhetorically. “Because I'm tired of living in a fantasy, alright? Everyone keeps telling me that he likes me back, but he  _ doesn't. _ He doesn't, and I'm fine with that. I'm done with him, anyway,” Luke replies angrily, his voice raising enough that Calum flinches, shrinking back a little. “‘m sorry,” he whispers, and Luke sighs. “Don't apologize, Cal. It's not your fault.”

 

Calum nods tentatively, still looking a little scared. It's weird, because Calum is a little taller than Luke and probably has more muscle, and if it came down to it, he could beat Luke's ass. But something Luke has learned from being Calum's friend is that he could be talking to you all confident one minute, but the second you raise your voice, he closes up. 

 

“I haven't told him yet, because he's dating Geordie. I can't just go up to him like, ‘hey, Michael, I've had a crush on you since I was seven, could you break up with your girlfriend and date me?’ because that would end in a very embarrassing rejection and a terrible heartbreak that would leave me to be one of those crazy cat people,” Luke says and Calum sighs. “Luke…” “It doesn't matter what I'm feeling. He's happy, alright? He's happy with our friendship and frankly, as long as he's happy with it, then I don't care. I'd rather be his friend than have him hate me.” 

 

Luke walks away, trying to force the feelings away that want him to  _ listen  _ to Calum and go tell Michael that he has a crush on him. He wants Michael to actually like him back and they could be a couple, and it could be just like Luke had always wanted.

 

But things have never been about what Luke's wanted.

 

**~**

 

**2011**

 

**~**

 

Luke walks down the hallway, his head down, when the door to the janitor's closet opens and Michael and Geordie fall out, Michael's shirt rumpled. “O-Oh, Luke, hi,” Michael stutters, blushing.  _ Probably from fucking his girlfriend. _

 

“Hi, Michael,” Luke replies, albeit semi monotonously. “I've gotta go, Mikey. Take care of yourself,” Geordie says, patting him on the back lightly before walking away. “Whatcha doing?” Luke asks dryly, refusing to look up at Michael. “We weren't...like, doing anything. If that's what you're, um, worried about.” He can feel Michael's eyes on him, but still doesn't look up.

 

“I thought you two were dating?” Luke can tell he's being immature, but at this point, he's so blinded by his sudden jealousy that he doesn't care. “We were, but like, not anymore. It didn't work out,” Michael replies quietly, still trying to get Luke to look up. Luke refuses, but he realizes that this is the first time in a long time that Michael's been nervous. He sighs in defeat - because he's always been weak around Michael - and looks up at the boy. He's shocked to see tears in Michael's eyes. “Are you okay?” “Are you mad at me?” Michael asks. Luke shakes his head.

 

“Of course not. Why would I be mad?” He questions. “You just seem mad. You've been acting distant lately and I hate it. I hate not being around you,” Michael responds, his voice sad and thick with tears. “I haven't been distant,” Luke protests. “Michael, I promise that I'm not mad at you. We're still best friends, and we're always going to be.” It kills him to say that; that they're just best friends, and that they'll always be. Because,  _ fuck,  _ he wants so much more. 

 

Michael nods a little, wiping at his eyes before putting a large grin back on his face. “You're getting taller, Hemmings. It's not right,” he says, putting his arm around Luke’s still small shoulders. “Maybe you're just shrinking,” Luke jokes, laughing at Michael's offended scoff. “I am  _ definitely  _ not shrinking. In a few years, I'll still be taller than you, mark my words.”

 

“I'm holding you to that,” Luke smirks. “Go ‘head. No matter what happens, you'll still always be my baby penguin,” Michael coos, ruffling Luke’s fringe with his free hand. Luke's stomach fills with butterflies and he's pretty sure he's smiling like a right idiot, but at this point, he doesn't mind. 

 

**~**

 

**2011**

 

**~**

 

“There's an end of the year party at my friend's house. You guys should come,” Ashton says as they sit at their usual lunch table on the last day of school. Calum smiles at him, nodding. “I'll go.” Michael raises an eyebrow. “You hate parties. You get anxious,” he says, but Calum gives him a cold glare. “Shut up, Mikey.”

 

“I guess I'll go, too,” Michael agrees. Ashton smiles, then Calum steals his attention. Luke sits silently, fiddling with his fingers in his lap. “You wanna go?” Michael asks quietly, nudging Luke's arm. 

 

Luke shakes his head a little. “Not really a ‘party’ type of guy. I'm more of a ‘stay home eat pizza and watch RENT’ kind of guy.” Michael nods. “Understandable. I love that musical.” 

 

Then they launched into a full fledged conversation about RENT, explaining their unflagging love for it. That is, until Ashton made a comment about how stereotypically gay they sounded right now, and Michael blushed and told him to shut up, while Luke just looked away. They stopped talking about musicals, but Michael still held Luke's hand under the table and scooted closer to him so they could cuddle in a way. “Do you like Wicked?” Michael whispers, and Luke turns to him with a smile. “Idina Menzel is a queen.”

 

That night, Luke realizes it was an awful idea to let Michael go to the party, without someone watching the number of drinks he was having, since Calum and Ashton would probably be sucking each other's faces all night. How does he know this? Well, the almost falling over dirty blonde on his doorstep is kind of a clue.

 

“Can we watch RENT?” Michael asks as Luke opens the door. “Michael? What are you doing here?” “I missed you, Lukey,” Michael slurs, falling into Luke's arms. “Let's get you home-” “No, I wanna stay with you!”

 

Michael wraps his arms around Luke's waist, burying his face in the younger boy's neck. Luke sighs in defeat - since he's  _ always  _ been weak for Michael - and reaches down to link their fingers together, pulling Michael into his house. “Let's go inside, Mikey.”

 

Michael hums in content, leaning his head on Luke's shoulder. “Did you drive here?” Luke asks, and Michael shakes his head. “I took a taxi. I knew that if I drove here, you would be mad at me,” he replies as Luke leads him towards the oh-so-familiar bedroom. “I wouldn't have been mad. Worried for your safety, but not mad,” Luke argues as he helps Michael sit down on his bed. “You're so sweet. You've always been sweet. It's one of the reasons I like you so much.” Luke's eyes widen a little at Michael's bluntness as he sits next to him on the bed. 

 

“You know, Geordie told me to tell you something, but I'm scared,” Michael continues, sounding a little more sober but his words are still slightly slurred as he adds, “I'm scared you might hate me after you find out.” “I could never hate you, Mikey,” Luke insists, wrapping his arm around Michael's shoulders. “That's what Geordie said, too. That you could never hate me,” Michael says, smiling humorlessly. 

 

“Can we lay down?” Michael asks, but it's clear he knows that Luke is going to say yes because he lays down anyway. Luke lays down next to him, and Michael turns on his side so they're face to face. “You want to know something?” Michael whispers, his warm breath on Luke's face. Luke nods a little. 

 

“This has always been my favorite part when we were younger. Laying in bed with you, side by side.” Michael confesses, his voice quiet. Luke nods again. “Me too,” he agrees. 

 

Michael scoots closer to Luke, burying his head in the other boy’s chest. “I never want this to end,” he whispers, shutting his eyes. “Neither do I.” Luke replies. His brain reminds him that Michael is drunk; that he would  _ never  _ say these things without consuming alcohol. 

 

It all gets to be too much, because he realizes none of this is ever going to be talked about again. He hears Michael's soft snores and lets tears slip out of his eyes. He  _ can't  _ go on like this. Michael is going to be a senior next year; he'll be going to college and they'll probably lose contact. Which means Luke needs to lose this stupid crush before that happens.

 

**~**

 

**2012**

 

**~**

 

“I can't believe we're juniors!” Calum says happily as he and Luke walk side by side down the hallway. “You gonna make captain of the varsity football team this year?” Luke asks and Calum blushes, wrapping his arms around himself. “N-No.”

 

Luke laughs a little, wrapping his arm around Calum's shoulders. “Don't worry, we'll do fine this year. Even though Ashton's not here, I'm determined to break you out of your shell by the end of this year so you can be the hottest senior ever next year,” he says and Calum giggles quietly

 

“Lucas; my penguin.” Luke laughs at Michael's nicknames for him before moving away from Calum and walking into Michael's open arms. “You're the same height as me and super broad,” Michael says into Luke's neck. “You're a year older than me and going to leave forever so deal with it,” Luke replies sassily and Michael laughs. Butterflies erupt in Luke's stomach, but he pushes them aside. He's supposed to be  _ over  _ Michael, god dammit.

 

“I think I've told you this before; I'm not going to college,” Michael says, causing Luke to sigh. “I know, but you'll probably go to New York or something since you're an aspiring artist like that.” Michael laughs, and pulls away, leaving Luke feeling cold.

 

“Calum!” “Michael!” Cue perfect display of bro-ship. Michael wraps his arms tightly around Calum, and the smaller boy reciprocates. Luke doesn't know he's seething until Calum meets eyes with him and stops holding Michael so tight, looking down guiltily. Luke realizes that -  _ fuck  _ \- he's getting jealous again and he needs to stop doing that. He shouldn't be feeling this way anymore; he has to get over his old crush.

 

Michael pulls away from Calum, lightly patting him on the back. The bell rings just as Calum's phone does. He takes it out of his pocket with a smile. “Hello? No, I'm fine to talk… Aw, thank you, that's so cute!” He says and walks towards the bathroom. Michael laughs a little as Luke stares disbelievingly after him. “Is he going to-”

 

Michael laughs more, nodding. “He says that he and Ashton aren't a thing, but it's all bullshit,” he says. “Well, I gotta go. I have music first and want to show those incompetent assholes what real music is.” Michael walks off and Luke laughs.

 

His smile fades into a fond one as he stares at where Michael just was and the crowds thin around him. He realizes that this whole ‘getting over Michael’ thing was going to be harder than he thought.

 

**~**

 

**2012**

 

**~**

 

Luke thinks he's finally done it.

 

Almost done it; at least.

 

He's able to feel Michael's eyes on him without having a blush breaking out across his cheeks. He can't feel the same amount of butterflies when Michael holds his hand (well, that's what he tells himself) and swings it between them obnoxiously, like he did back when they were younger. 

 

The problem is, Michael is having trouble. He says that he's not graduating this year, and that that's ‘completely fine’. Not that Luke would particularly  _ mind  _ spending another whole year with Michael, it's just that he refuses to let Michael think that he's not worth it. That he can't do it.

 

“C’mon, Mikey, I know you can do this,” Luke insists for the millionth time as Michael puts his head in his hands, glaring down at the Calculus book in front of him. “No, I  _ can't,  _ Luke. I can't fucking do this, I'm never gonna get out of here!” He drops his head on the book. Luke flinches at the tone of his voice. He keeps going though, since he knows that Michael actually  _ can  _ do this.

 

“That doesn't sound like the Michael Clifford I know.” Michael looks up at his calm tone, like he didn't expect Luke to be keeping his composure here. “The Michael Clifford  _ I  _ know would walk in there, take that exam, and fucking own it. Because that's who you are,” Luke says, sitting down next to Michael. 

 

Michael scoffs. “Then you obviously don't know me very well, because if you did, you would know that I'm an idiot. I'll never amount to anything, no matter how much you say I can,” he says, turning away. “I  _ do  _ know you well. I've known you for over eleven years, Michael! For fuck’s sake, you're so amazing, and talented,  _ how the hell  _ can you not see that?” Luke practically yells, standing up. Michael's eyes widen.

 

“You can amount to so much, but you refuse to believe it! So, yeah, maybe you are an idiot, but only because you think that you can ever amount to anything!” Luke continues, and Michael finally seems to snap out his his surprise, because he gives Luke a glare. “How can you be so sure what I'm ‘capable’ of?”

 

“Because I lo-” Luke cuts himself off. “B-Because I…” “Why are you so sure of me, Luke, huh? Please, enlighten me how you know that I can do this,” Michael says, standing up as well, crossing his arms stubbornly. Luke sighs in exasperation. “I  _ can't  _ tell you,” he says quietly. “Just tell me! Give me a fucking r-”

 

“It's because I love you!”

 

Michael's expression looks shocked, and he takes a small step back. “Y-You-” he cuts himself off, and Luke feels tears building up in his eyes before pushing past Michael to walk out the door. “You can fucking fail the test for all I care,” he mutters, ignoring how Michael still hasn't moved an inch. 

 

He walks down the stairs, opens the front door of Michael's house, and starts to make his way down the stairs, tears streaming down his cheeks. He  _ knew  _ Michael would hate him.

 

“Luke!”

 

He ignores Michael's call. 

 

“Luke, wait! Just stop and listen to me!”

 

Luke reluctantly stops walking, his shoulders shaking with his sobs. Michael steps in front of Luke, his eyebrows furrowing in concern. “Don't cry, Lukey,” he whispers, wiping away the tears on the blonde's cheek with his thumb. Luke tries to stop his sobs and the butterflies that just erupted in his stomach.

 

“Why are you crying?” Michael asks gently. “Be-because you hate me now,” Luke replies, like it's obvious, because, really, it is. “I could never hate you,” Michael assures in his same gentle tone. Luke shakes his head. “I just ruined over eleven years of friendship, of course you hate me!” 

 

“Lukey, I definitely don't hate you,” Michael assures, and Luke looks up at him through his eyelashes. “B-But, how?” Michael laughs fondly. “Well, for one, I could never hate you in a million years,” he starts, then turns serious. “And, uh, secondly, it's because I feel the same way as you.” Luke's eyes widen. “Don't do that. Don't say it if you don't really mean-”

 

“I  _ do  _ mean it,” Michael interrupts, cupping Luke's face in his hands gently. “R-Really?” Michael nods, and Luke can't believe how unreal this all feels. “Oh, god, I have to be dreaming, this can't be actually happening,” he says. “No, Lukey, I can assure you that this is really happening.”

 

Michael leans his face closer to Luke's, resting their foreheads together. “Can I kiss you, Lukey?” He asks quietly. Luke's breath hitches before he nods eagerly. He shuts his eyes, and a couple seconds later, there's a pair of lips on his own, and the amount of butterflies and fireworks in his body are  _ nothing  _ compared to anything he's ever felt before. 

 

“Be my boyfriend?” Michael asks when they separate to breathe. Luke nods again, smiling. “Yes, of course,” he replies. Michael smiles back, and pecks Luke's lips again. 

 

After almost twelve years, Luke  _ finally  _ got what he always wanted.

 

Michael.

 

**~**

 

**2012**

 

**~**

 

“I did it!” Luke turns at the sound of Michael's happy voice and is soon met with the boy jumping into his arms, a paper clutched in his hand behind Luke's head. “I did it, Lukey! I passed!” He pulls away, showing Luke the exam in his hands that has a C+ written on it in red pen. 

 

“That's amazing, Mik-” Luke's cut off by Michael's lips being pressed to his own, making the fireworks erupt in his stomach again. “I love you,” Michael whispers onto his lips. Luke tries not to smile too much as he wraps his arms around Michael's neck, deepening the kiss. 

 

“Should we, like, stop making out in the middle of the hallway?” Michael asks and Luke giggles. “No one's even in it. It's just us…” “Until the bell rings.”

 

Luke sighs defeatedly - because he always has and always will be weak for Michael - and pulls away. “Fine, Clifford. But this definitely isn't over,” he assures. Michael smirks. “Oh, I wouldn't dream of it,” he says with a wink, causing Luke to blush. 

 

**~**

 

**2013**

 

**~**

 

“I can't believe you actually got the balls to say it.” Is the first thing Calum says when he sees Michael and Luke's hands joined under the table at Starbuck's. I mean, Michael and Luke holding hands is nothing new, but their expressions seem even fonder than usual. “Seriously, I've been waiting for this moment since fifth grade when I realized Luke had a thing for you,” Calum continues.

 

“Fifth grade?” Michael asks Luke incredulously, and the boy nods sheepishly. “I kinda got a crush when I was seven, and it stayed all through grade school. I tried to give it up when we started high school, though.”

 

Michael smiles. “That's weird; because when we started high school, I realized I had a thing for you,” he says, and Luke blushes. “Oh, that's inconvenient timing.”

 

“You two are fucking adorable together, let me just say. However, I can only handle so much and that's why Ashton has just arrived,” Calum says, turning to wave at the boy. “Hi, Ashton!” 

 

Ashton walks over to them with his usual dimpled smile. “Hey, Calum,” he greets, his voice a whole new form of fond as he sits down and rests a hand on the boy's thigh. Luke raises an eyebrow at Calum, who blushes in response. “Hi, Ash,” Michael says and Ashton smiles at him. “Hi, Mikey. Hi, Luke,” he says, looking at the young blonde with a more charming grin. Luke blushes under his stare and looks down. He can sense Michael grip his hand tighter and glances at him to see him glaring at Ashton.

 

“ _ So _ , Ashton, are you and Calum together?” Michael asks and Luke lightly rubs his thumb against his knuckles, feeling him relax just the slightest bit. “Well, nothing official yet,” Ashton starts and Calum looks up at him, his face nothing if not in love. “But, I mean, I want to,” he adds, facing Calum and pecking his lips once. “Whenever he's ready.”

 

Luke catches Michael's eye, gives him a look as if to say, ‘see? You have nothing to worry about’. “I love you,” Luke whispers in Michael's ear; quietly, so only Michael can hear, like it's a big secret, and kisses the boy on the cheek lightly. Michael smiles at him, and presses his lips to Luke's, muttering, “I love you, too.”

 

**~**

 

**2014**

 

**~**

 

“I can't believe you're leaving,” Luke says, hugging Michael tightly. “I'll miss you so much,” Michael assures, his face buried in Luke's neck. “Good luck in New York, make sure you get up every so often on the plane so you don't lose feeling in your legs, it's a  _ really  _ long way to America, and-”

 

“ _ Luke _ ,” Michael starts, pulling away from the rambling boy. “I'll be fine. I can handle it. And I promise that I'll be back for your graduation.” He rests his forehead against Luke's, his green eyes showing nothing but sincerity. “Call me when you land,” Luke says, linking their fingers together down by his waist. “Of course.” Michael leans the short distance closer, attaching their lips together in a passionate kiss.

 

“ _ Flight 327 to New York is boarding now.” _

 

“I need to go,” Michael says, pulling away. Luke nods, looking down. He doesn't realize he's crying until Michael wipes his tears away. “I promise I'll be back.” Michael kisses Luke once more, a chaste kiss that leaves Luke chasing Michael's lips as he pulls away. 

 

Michael starts to walk away, Luke reluctantly letting go of his hand as he gets too far. “I love you…” Luke whispers when Michael is too far away to hear it. It's okay, though. Michael knows.

 

**~**

 

**2014**

 

**~**

 

Luke sits at his desk in his room, his chin on his palm, and sighs. There's footsteps coming up to his room and a knock on the door. “Go away, Jack,” he says, but the door opens anyway.

 

“Jack, I said go -” He turns around to see Michael standing there with a smile. “Mikey,” he sighs in relief, throwing himself into the older boy's open arms and burying his face into his neck. “I missed you so much…” He says, and he feels Michael press a light kiss to his neck before he replies, “I missed you, too.” Luke pulls away, finally getting a good look at his boyfriend. “Whoa, holy crap, you dyed your- you pierced your eyebrow,  _ holy shit _ , are those earrings? Fuck, you look hot,” he gushes, causing Michael to laugh a little. “I mean, it looks amazing! I didn't think you could get any hotter, but like, the black, it’s-” he cuts himself off, just to look at Michael again because New York was fucking great to him.

 

“Didn't know you had a thing for bad boys, Lukey,” Michael teases and Luke shrugs, blushing. “It just...looks really good. It, uh, brings out your eyes.” Michael smiles at his boyfriend, kissing him chastely on the lips just for being so cute. “It makes them look like grass in the summer,” Luke adds after Michael pulls away, the blush still heavy on his cheeks. “You're so fucking cute, Luke,” Michael says before leaning in to kiss Luke again, more passionately. His hands grip Luke's waist tightly and Luke sighs lightly into his mouth, because he never wants this moment to end.

 

It does, though; because humans need a stupid thing called oxygen to like, survive and shit, so they pull away, breathing heavily. “So,” Michael starts, “Whatcha doing?”

 

Luke laughs, leaning his forehead on Michael's shoulder. “I just graduated,” he says. “I'm so sorry I couldn't make it to the ceremony. My flight got delayed an hour because of the snow-” “Snow?” “It actually wasn't as great as they make it out to be. It was fine the first couple days, but once the cars drove over it awhile, it turned black and gross. Away from the streets, it was fine,” Michael explains.

 

“You have to come back with me,” he continues, and Luke picks his head up. “Wh-what?” “Come back with me to New York, please, Luke.” 

 

Luke smiles a little, detaching himself from Michael and walking over to his desk, picking up a still shut envelope. “This is from Juilliard.” Michael's eyes widen and Luke hands him the letter. “I didn't tell my parents that I applied because I didn't want them to tell me what I already knew,” Luke continues.

 

“You haven't opened it yet?” Michael asks, looking down at the letter that Luke gave to him. Luke places his hands over Michael's. “Juilliard only has a 6.7% acceptance rate. People like Robin Williams and Yo-Yo Ma graduated from there; I didn't think it was even worth it,” he explains. “Why didn't you tell your parents you applied?” Michael asks. “We live in Australia. Why the hell would my parents support me going all the way to America when I told them that my first choice was Melbourne University?” Michael looks down at the envelope again, then looks up at Luke. 

 

“Open it,” he says, and Luke shakes his head. “No, I know what it's gonna say-” “C’mon, Luke. I know what you think it's going to say, but you won't know until you actually check.” Luke looks at him and bites his lip uncertainly. “Please,” Michael whispers, and Luke sighs, taking the letter from Michael's hands and opening it slowly. He looks over the piece of paper in his hands, his eyes widening. “What does it say?” Michael asks.

 

“I got in,” Luke replies, his eyes still wide in shock.

 

**~**

 

**2015**

 

**~**

 

“This is gonna be amazing. I can't believe I got in!” Luke gushes as he practically bounces in his seat on the plane. Michael laughs fondly, leaning his head on Luke's shoulder. “I told you. Don't know why you were so worried.” Luke smiles at his boyfriend, kissing the top of his head. “Go to sleep, Mikey. I'll wake you up when we land.”

 

“You better not, like, kick the back of the chair in front of you. I don't want to have to explain to an annoyed adult that my boyfriend acts like he's six,” Michael mutters sleepily, causing Luke to laugh. “Love you!” He whispers happily. Michael smiles a little, turning his head to let his forehead rest on Luke's shoulder. “Love you too, my adorable little penguin.” 

 

Many hours and two plane changes later, they reach New York. “Okay, how the hell did you do that, I never want to get on a plane again,” Luke says as they step off the plane. Michael giggles, grabbing Luke's hand and linking their fingers together. “I thought that too when I was coming to see you, but then I realized I was going to see you and then I forgot why I was pissed at the public transportation system,” Michael says, leaning forward to kiss Luke lightly on the cheek. Luke blushes immensely like he's eleven years old again and Michael just laughed at one of his terrible jokes. 

 

They get their suitcases and get a taxi, which drops them off at Michael's apartment. Once they're inside, Michael goes to his bedroom and collapses on the bed dramatically. “Fucking jet lag…” He mutters. “Lukey, c’mere. Sleep with me,” he continues. Luke smiles at his boyfriend and lays down next to him. “You're really beautiful, you know that?” Michael says, his eyes shut. Luke blushes again, looking down. “Thank you,” he whispers, fiddling with his fingers. “I love you, and I'm so proud of you,” Michael adds, opening his eyes to meet Luke's.

 

Luke's blush gets deeper, if possible. He leans forward and presses his lips to Michael's, kissing him like it's their last. “I love you too,” he says when he pulls away. “Now, let's go to sleep. I just went backwards in time sixteen hours and need to make up for it,” he adds, looking at the digital clock on Michael's bedside table that says 8:13 in red numbers.

 

Michael nods sleepily in agreement, kissing Luke gently one more time before shutting his eyes. Luke just watches him for a couple minutes, overwhelmed by love, before falling asleep himself.

 

Hours later, Luke wakes up slowly, checking the time to see that it's 12:45. “Jesus christ…” He mutters to himself. Michael is still sleeping, and he's  _ super  _ bored and doesn't want to do anything at the same time. His eyes drift over to Michael again, and he smirks when an idea forms in his head. 

 

He moves as quietly as he can, but knows he doesn't have to worry as much as he is, since through the years of knowing Michael, he knows that the boy can sleep like a fucking log. He throws the thin sheet off of Michael's body and gets in between his legs. 

 

Luke lightly drags his fingers across his boyfriend's hipbone, smirking when goosebumps spread across Michael's skin. He slowly pulls down Michael's sweatpants and boxers to the middle of his thighs. He takes Michael's soft cock in his hand, pumping it a few times. Michael makes a soft grunting noise, and Luke quickly looks up to see him still asleep.

 

Luke leans down and tentatively kitten licks over Michael's tip before sucking the head in his mouth. Michael moans quietly from above him, but he doesn't stop, just hollows out his cheeks and sucks harder. He bobs his head up and down, taking about half of Michael's cock in his mouth, holding himself there and breathing through his nose. A hand grips his hair and he looks up innocently to see Michael smirking at him.

 

“You gonna go further, Lukey?” He asks teasingly and Luke nods the best he can, shutting his eyes again and taking Michael further into his mouth. Michael's cock hits the back of his throat and he gags a little, tears coming to his eyes. “Fucking hell, Luke,” Michael groans out, throwing his head back and exposing his neck. Luke looks up at him again, wanting to both mark up the expanse of milky skin and keep sucking Michael's cock. 

 

Luke licks up the underside of Michael's dick, taking the head back in his mouth. “I-I’m close, Lukey,” Michael grunt out, his fingers twisting tightly in Luke's blonde hair. Luke takes Michael's cock until he hits the base, relaxing his throat and looking up Michael with his watery blue eyes. Michael's hand tightens even more in his hair and he moans, the vibrations sending chills up Michael's spine. “ _ Fuck _ !” Michael yells and cums down Luke's throat, the blonde sputtering a little before swallowing it. 

 

He pulls off and kisses Michael's sensitive tip one last time. “Good morning, Mikey,” he says, blinking up at Michael innocently. Michael smiles, grabbing Luke's waist to get them eye level. He leans in to press their lips together, but Luke pushes him away. “No, you have morning breath,” he protests, getting up off the bed. “What the hell, you literally just sucked my dick.”

 

“And that means that you can extend me the courtesy of brushing your teeth!” Luke calls as he walks into the bathroom. He hears Michael laugh from the bed as he fixes his hair in the bathroom mirror.

 

**~**

 

**2018**

 

**~**

 

Luke giggles again. “Mikey, why do you seem so nervous?” He asks as Michael blushes, pushing the food around on his plate with his fork. “I just- you look really cute tonight,” Michael mutters, causing Luke to blush. “You're cuter.” When that doesn't result in Michael's usual response of something along the lines of “I'm not cute, I'm punk rock,” Luke knows something is up.

 

“What's wrong? Are you feeling alright?” Luke asks, an eyebrow raised. Michael wipes his hands on his jeans, looking around the restaurant nervously before sighing. “Fuck it,” he whispers to himself. He takes both of Luke's hands in his own. 

 

“So, Luke; we've been best friends since we was five. A-And I know that you had a crush on me all throughout grade school, and I was an idiot and didn't notice. I should've. You have been amazing and so,  _ so,  _ incredible since day one-” 

 

“Michael, what's going on?” Luke asks, and Michael gets down on one knee in front of him, letting go of his hands to pull a dark purple box from his pocket. “Oh my god,” Luke whispers in shock, his hand coming over his mouth.

 

“Luke, I love you. I have ever since we started high school, a-and we've been together for years. I realized that I want to spend the rest of my life with you.” Michael opens the box, revealing a silver ring. “Luke Hemmings, will you marry me?”

 

Luke stares at him for a moment, his eyes wide. “Holy crap, yes, Michael! Fucking hell, of course!” he exclaims, launching himself into Michael's arms and kissing his lips passionately. “I love you so much,” Luke whispers. “I love you, too.” The people around them in the restaurant are applauding as Luke cups Michael's face in his hands, deepening the kiss.

 

“Shouldn't we stop making out in the middle of a restaurant?” Michael asks with a giggle. Luke gets an overwhelming sense of deja vu before he giggles himself. “Fine, but this isn't over, Clifford,” he plays along. “I wouldn't dream of it,” Michael replies with a wink. 

 

They get off the ground and back into their chairs, their hands joined. Michael slips the silver band on Luke's ring finger, kissing the back of his hand afterwards. “You’re still my adorable little penguin,” he says, leaning over the table to peck Luke's lips quickly.

 

Luke smiles and blushes. “And you're my cuddly punk rock kitten.”

 

**~**

 

**2023**

 

**~**

 

“Alex! No cookies until after dinner!” Luke chastises, lifting his son away from the counter. “But it was for Isaac!” Alex protests, crossing his arms stubbornly, the attitude reminding Luke so much of his husband that he can't help but smile. “Well, both you and Isaac will have to wait. Go play with your sister, I'm dying your dad's hair,” he says. Alex smiles, picking up the stuffed penguin off the ground and running to his room. Their kids always loved when Michael dyed his hair, since they could spend the whole next few days coming up with nicknames for him based on the color.

 

“Okay, I'm back,” Luke says, walking back into the bathroom. Michael smiles. “I missed you,” he coos, pouting a little. Luke blushes, but then gasps. “Michael, get the fucking cat out of here!” “‘ _ The cat _ ’ has a name, Lucas,” Michael teases, causing Luke to sigh. “Get Michaelangelo out of here or else we'll have to change his name to Donatello.”

 

Michael nods, satisfied, before taking the orange cat off his lap and placing him on the ground. “You chose the purple for Rachel, didn't you?” Luke questions and Michael nods. Their daughter, Rachel, was named after the character on Glee who they both wanted to kill and throw roses at. Their daughter's favorite color was purple; hence, Michael's new hair. 

 

A few minutes later, they wash the dye out in the sink, and Luke dries his head off with a towel. “Okay, it kinda looks like fairy floss. I also kinda want to try and eat it,” he comments. Michael chuckles. “It probably doesn't taste like fairy floss.”

 

The door opens downstairs and Luke looks at Michael with furrowed eyebrows. “Who could that be?” “Oh, I forgot, Ashton and Calum are coming over later,” Michael replies. “Thanks for the warning. Now I have to keep Calum away from the cookies until after dinner.”

 

There's a shout of “Uncle Ashton! Uncle Calum!” which most definitely belongs to their son. Michael ruffles his hair one more time with the towel before taking Luke's hand. “Let's go see if they brought all six kids this time,” he says, causing Luke to laugh a little. “They definitely brought the youngest four, from the sound of Alex and Rachel's cheering.”

 

They walk downstairs and see Ashton and Calum with all six of their kids. “Hey guys!” Ashton smiles and Calum pushes past him. “My  _ genius  _ husband brought Evan with him and Kara to Hot Topic today. American Idiot was playing. After they got home, Evan asked me what ‘fuck’ meant,” Calum says to Luke. Ashton shrugs. “It was an accident! I can't dictate what music Hot Topic plays!” “Why would you take our five year old to Hot Topic in the first place?” “He wanted a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles shirt, I couldn't say no.”

 

Calum sighs, shaking his head. “Whatever. Anyway, Michael, your hair looks amazing. Very purple.” Michael smiles. “You okay, Calum?” Luke asks. “Fine. I live with seven kids and a dog, but I'll live,” Calum replies. “Calum, we have six kids,” Ashton points out. “And you,” Calum adds. Ashton looks ready to protest but then decides against it. Calum's sassy as hell when he's not being quiet, and Ashton really doesn't want to get into a roast battle now.

 

“Where are Matt and Kara?” Ashton asks. “Kara's texting and Matt's reading, like always. The other four are playing in Alex's room,” Calum replies. “Uncle Mikey!” Mia yells as she runs down the stairs, probably from Alex's room, and grabs onto Michael's leg. “Your hair changed color again!” Michael smiles, picking Mia up off the ground. “I actually dyed it,” he replies, and Mia gasps. “Why are you killing your hair, Uncle Mikey? You'll be bald then because all your hair will die.”

 

Ashton laughs a little. “She knows what's up.”

 

Michael glares at Ashton quickly. “No, Mia, it won't fall out. I don't change its color that much.” Mia smiles. “Good, because I love your hair. It's pretty. Can you dye it pink next?” Michael nods. “Of course, princess.”

 

Mia's smile brightens before she wiggles out of Michael's arms, running back upstairs. Luke takes Michael's hand and they walk to the couch in the living room, sitting down. “You're so cute and good with kids,” Luke says, leaning his head on Michael's shoulder (they liked to inconvenience themselves by having the taller one put his head on the shorter one's shoulder. It was how they loved). Michael smiles, resting his head on top of Luke's. “You’re cuter.” Luke blushes.

 

“Uncle Luke?” The blonde looks up. “Yeah, Kara?” “I'm starving. Do you have food?” “Kara, you know to just look. As long as you don't eat everything, I'm fine with it,” Luke replies. Kara smiles at him gratefully, then walks into the kitchen. Michael turns his head to Luke and kisses his cheek lightly. “I love y-”

  
“Oh my god, stop making out in their kitchen!” Kara's shriek cuts off Michael's statement. Luke giggles, and soon Michael joins in. “Looks like Cashton is at it again,” Luke says. He presses his lips to Michael's briefly. “I love you,” he whispers before Michael can say anything. Michael giggles again, his nose scrunching up cutely. For a split second, Luke sees the awkward 17 year old that Michael used to be; with the awkward smile and the too-long fringe. Then he's back to the present Michael; with the bright freshly dyed purple hair and tattooed skin. He still has the same eyes though, the same green eyes that look like the grass in the summer.

**Author's Note:**

> Michael and Luke's kids are named Alex and Rachel. Calum and Ashton's are (from youngest to oldest) Matt, Kara, MJ, Evan, Mia, and Bella.
> 
> That was irrelevant. Le sigh.
> 
> I'm thinking of making a Cashton sequel to this, because I feel like it would be cute. Comment and kudos if you liked this, I love you all!
> 
> \- Gracie XXX


End file.
